#447...lately in my kitchen

I've been busy whipping up dishes from the veggies I got last week. Cooking is not my forte, so I'm pretty pleased with myself that I made these edible and also yummy dishes.

Quinoa Salad

Braised Daikon in Mirin and Shoyu

Beet Hummus

....and to top off all this healthy eating, I gobbled up two of these giant shortbread jam heart cookies that an admirer left on my porch as a sweet Valentine's treat!

#446...wikstenmade tank

I bought this tank pattern from Jenny of Wiksten last year, and finally got around to testing it out.

It is a really simple sewing pattern, but it employs some of my favorite techniques like a french seam, and bias finished neck and arm holes. You have the choice of making a shirt length tank or a dress length tank. I made the longer tank as a nightie for my friend Nancy from some vintage Liberty of London fabric that I've had stashed for awhile.

My sister Sarah asked me to teach her how to sew, so she too made a tank dress for her first project. I helped her with the curved portions, but she cut it out, sewed the side seams and pocket all by herself. Here is a pic of Sarah's tank. She said she may wear it as a swimsuit cover-up, which I thought a clever use.

There is an entire flickr pool dedicated to the Wikstenmade patterns. Here are a few of my favorites of the tank pattern from flickr.

#445...botanical photography

I'm enamoured with the beautiful botanical photography of  Kari Herer. This weekend, I played around with my camera and a bouquet of dendrobium orchids trying to capture their beauty in a similar style.

Thanks for the pretty flowers Sol

#444...super quick staging

Sometimes, when I am looking for items for a real estate staging project the Shopping Gods smile on me, and I find everything I need in about 30 minutes at exactly the price point that fits in my budget. Case in point.....

before

after

King Bed-in-a-Bag Set from Ross $35

Set of Toss Pillows from HomeGoods $25

Starburst Mirror over bed from HomeGoods $45

#443...veggie time

My client and friend Sol turned me on to this local organic veggie co-op. I bought my first box yesterday, and am impressed with its contents.

Here is a list of what came in my box

6 bananas

3 Fuji apples

2 Gala apples

1 Granny Smith apple

1 cucumber

1 avocado

4 oranges

1 red onion

2 tomatoes

14 carrots

4 D'Anjou pears

1 head romaine 

1 bunch kale

1 pint strawberries

1 head spinach

1 bunch green cabbage

1 pineapple

1 grapefruit

1 celery bunch

...........now to figure out what to do with all of this healthy stuff

#442...floating side table

We have had this hairpin side table by our couch for awhile now. I refurbished it here.

I really liked the pop of color, but ended up disliking how much dog hair got trapped in the hairpin legs and how annoying it was to clean around them. My solution to the leg/hair dilemma was to have Tyler build a floating side table for the space, which I painted and stained similarly to the old hairpin version. 

#441...fendi facelift

I got this vintage Fendi purse at a consignment shop for about $15.

It was in really good shape except for the trimming around the zipper, which was completely frayed.

I thought about taking it to a shoe/purse repair shop....(and I still may)....but I decided first to try giving it a quick fix so that I could use it. I got some 3/8ths inch bright blue velvet ribbon and simply glued it over the frayed trim. I thought about using a fabric/leather glue, but I wanted a less permanent solution in case I wanted to change the ribbon out. I opted to glue it on with hot glue, which rips off when you are done with it.

I tried to get an action shot with my new cross body beauty, but Mazie thought the photo shoot was about her and would not get out of the frame.